COMPANY PROFILE
2014
PERI SA
Climbing into Africa
company profile
Climbing into Africa Editorial: Roland Douglas Production: Chris Bolderstone
PERI is the largest manufacturer and supplier of formwork and scaffolding systems in the world. With 6500 employees, 52 subsidiaries and 110 efficient storage sites, PERI serves its customers worldwide with equipment and a broad range of services related to formwork and scaffolding technology. In Africa, this innovative company is making waves in the construction industry and has an impressive portfolio of successfully completed projects.
Operating in the South African construction industry has been something of a difficult task over the past few years. Since the widely reported boom that surrounded the industry during preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, construction companies and associated businesses have had mixed fortunes. Even the big name players have reported challenging conditions; mainly due to the tough economic climate, legacy issues and rising costs of fuel. Aveng said that despite reports of an upturn, it was still yet to see any real improvement in infrastructure spending; WBHO has seen operating profit and headline earnings fall and even Murray and Roberts has reported challenges. But there are always two sides to every story and there has been a silver lining for many firms in the shape of Africa.
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The continent has provided massive opportunities for expansion and while the South African market continues on the recovery path, some firms have found great successes whilst operating across borders. Take Group Five for example; it has said that the rest of Africa, mining and cross-border energy projects, and Africa’s general infrastructure needs are likely to boost the pipeline of work. So is expansion on the continent the answer? Well, for any company that is suitably positioned to move into Africa, yes. That is exactly what PERI SA has done. As a subsidiary of the global PERI Group, which is the largest manufacturer and supplier of formwork and scaffolding systems in the world, PERI SA has expanded its footprint and is now looking to increase its activities in East, West and Central Africa. With representative offices already established in
PERI SA
Mozambique, Namibia and Angola, the head office in Stellenbosch has created the perfect springboard for a strong move into the African market – where it has already seen significant successes. The company boasts some major projects as part of its portfolio and the German-South African engineering skills that have been demonstrated have provided the perfect base for PERI SA to move into neighbouring countries. PERI formwork and scaffolding systems were used during the construction of Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit and the Vodacom Park Stadium in Bloemfontein. Custom designed PERI solutions were used during the upgrading of the Koeberg interchange. This project provided a web of complex issues as road and rail traffic
could not be interrupted. Numerous contractors and consultants were involved as well as engineers, projects managers and of course the customer, the Western Cape Provincial Government. Products used included; the VARIO GT 24 Girder Wall Formwork, the MULTIFLEX Girder Slab Formwork and the HD 200 Heavy Duty Prop, and of course, all met the stringent safety standards and Codes of Practice for Temporary Works set out by the relevant organisations. Other major projects in Africa include the Fairlands Administration Building in Johannesburg, the Central Bank of Nigeria Administration Building in Lagos and the Lekki Ikoyi Bridge, also in Lagos.
NIGERIAN SUCCESS The administration building for the Central Bank of Nigeria, on Lagos Island; in a city aiming to become
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company profile
the financial centre of Africa; threw up many challenges for contractors. The 21 storey, 100m tall high rise structure is home to around 2000 employees and even has a landing pad for helicopters on the roof. Because of the complicated foundations, proximity to the neighbouring buildings and extremely cramped site conditions, this project needed innovative solutions and leading building contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria, found exactly what was needed with PERI products. PERI provided all of the formwork and scaffolding for the project and also delivered professional training for the construction site team. The building shell facade was scaffolded with PERI UP and the company says: “The scaffolding planning was created with the help of PERI CAD software and took into account the
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varying ground plans featuring numerous projections and recesses as well as the three crane towers with corresponding fixing struts. “As a result, planning reliability and optimum material utilization could be achieved especially for those scaffold sections reaching up to 100m in height.” The project made use of a number of other innovative PERI solutions and the company’s expertise allowed the contractor to work to maximum capacity. PERI’s work in Nigeria is not isolated to this one project; the company was also heavily involved in the construction of the Lekki Ikoyi Bridge. PERI engineers combined two ACS (Automatic Climbing System) and RCS (Rail Climbing System) climbing systems to create a project-specific, optimally
PERI SA adapted formwork solution. PERI solutions allowed construction to move rapidly, even with a wide range of geometric and safety-related challenges to consider. The first cable-stayed bridge in Nigeria, Lekki Ikoyi Bridge connects two districts of Lagos, Lekki on Victoria Island and Ikoyi on Lagos Island. With a total length of 1357m and a pylon which reaches 90m high, this is yet another mega-structure which PERI can add to its project portfolio.
HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENTS Producing quality work does not go unnoticed and PERI SA has realised this after being awarded a Golden Arrow from PMR Africa in 2010, 2011 and 2012. A random, national panel of 120 respondents comprising building material retailers and representatives of construction companies rated PERI as the best supplier in the formwork and bricks category. This award confirms PERI’s operational excellence and helps to set benchmarks in the industry. The company said it was very proud of the accolade and hoped to retain it in the future. Reinforcing the company’s quality credentials even
further, PERI SA has received ISO 9001 certification. The company says that operating to these high standards has allowed for a continued focus on PERI guidelines of “best customer service, striving to achieve excellent work and respect for the individual.” So, as the South African construction industry continues on its recovery path and Africa continues to offer potential, it seems that PERI has made the right decision to up its expansion drive on the continent. It has been reported that Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Rwanda and the DRC could provide fruitful opportunities and with contractors clearly happy with the way the business is set up to provide innovative, flexible on-site solutions; it looks as though there is no limit to the heights it can reach.
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“The scaffolding planning was created with the help of PERI CAD software and took into account the varying ground plans featuring numerous projections and recesses as well as the three crane towers with corresponding fixing struts”
CODE OF CONDUCT SCC Offers tailored and specialized construction compound solutions for the Industrial, commercial, domestic, construction, mining & precast concrete companies in South Africa & Africa. Our comprehensive range of products and services are based on our 3 pillars of quality that drive everything we do:
Customization Components Service
Stanton Construction Chemicals our flexibility is your strength!
www.sccsa.co.za
Concrete Curing Compounds • Mould Release Agents • Epoxy Adhesives • Chemical Anchoring • Cementitious Non-Shrink Grouts Epoxy grouts • Concrete Repair Mortars • Bonding Liquids • Concrete Floor Repairs • Industrial Flooring • Coatings • Joint Sealing Systems • Waterproofing • Concrete Admixtures • Acid Proof Linings • Crusher Backing Compounds • Ceramic Wear Linings Cel No. 072 3013243 Tel No. 011 794 7542 Fax No. 086 5173646
Physical Address: Unit 8, Five Star Business Park, Phase 2, c/o Beyers Naude & Juice street, Honeydew Email: neville@sccsa.co.za MAR 14 PAGE 5 Reg No. 2007/243060/23 • Vat No: 4100260035
www.peri.co.za +27 (0)21 880 7777
(0)1603 618 000 info@industrysa.com East Coast Promotions Ltd, Ferndale Business Centre, 1 Exeter Street. Norwich, Norfolk NR2 4QB